Family, thy Name is Camden
by baseballfan44
Summary: Set 10 years after season 10. When Mary Camden Rivera and her family faces an unexpected tragedy, can her mom, dad, brothers, and sisters help them cope? Please read and review, but be nice. This is my first 7th Heaven fic. Any flames will be used to roas
1. They Sighed

Summary: Ten years after season 10, Mary Camden Rivera and her family encounters an unexpected tragedy. They turn to her all her family for help, but can the Camdens help her and Carlos and their children get through the pain? Every other character has a minor side plot, too. This is my first 7th Heaven fic, so it may be a little sloppy.

**Family, Thy Name is Camden**

This first part you don't have to read, but it may be useful later on. So you might as well read it now.

**Matt Camden** (36 years old) is still married to Sarah, and they have 2 kids: Edward (Eddie) who is 10, and Kristin who is 6. Sarah is expecting their third child in six months or so. They moved back to Glenoak after med. school to be closer to their parents. They opened up their own practice

**Mary Camden Rivera** (34) is back together with Carlos, and they have 3 kids: Charlie, who is 12, Michelle, who is 7, and Ryan, who is 2. They live in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Carlos manages a local grocery store chain and Mary is a flight attendant.

**Lucy Camden Kinkirk **(33) is still married to Kevin, and they have 3 kids: Savannah, who is 11, Chase, who is 10, and Allison, who is 4. They still live in Glenoak, and Kevin is a police officer and Lucy is still the associate pastor at her dad's church, but she does more now than before. She's also expecting kid number four in about 2 months.

**Simon Camden** (30) divorced Rose after 6 months, and is now married to a woman named Denise, who is more likeable than Rose. They have 1 kid: Hailee, who is 3. They live in San Francisco. He directs documentaries and short films, and is looking for that one project to make his career. Denise is a dog trainer.

**Ruthie Camden** (25) is married to a man named Will Harris, and they have two twins, one boy and one girl: Randy and Megan, and they are 2 years old. They live in Glenoak. Ruthie teaches 8th grade English and Will builds houses.

**Sam Camden **(17) is a senior in high school and still lives with Eric and Annie. He has a girlfriend named Mackenzie (Kenzie) Anderson. He plays baseball for the high school team. He's not a superstar, but he's pretty good at it. Sam is definately the more popular of the two at school.

**David Camden** (17) can't get a girl to save his life--just kidding. He's had girlfriends, he just doesn't right now. Like Sam, he's a senior in high school and still lives with his parents. He played football for a while during high school until a shoulder injury in his junior year forced him to quit. He was popular until then, now he hangs out with a different crowd.

Well that about covers everyone except Mom and Dad, but they're just normal for them. Eric is still at the church, and Annie's at home, blah, blah, blah. Now on to the story. The first chapter will just introduce everyone and their lives and stuff.

**Chapter 1: They Sighed**

Matt sighed as he pulled on his white coat. "Sarah!" He called. Silence for a moment, before he heard the impatient voice of his wife.

"What!" Sarah called back.

"Have you seen my stethoscope!" He asked.

"No! And if you're gonna yell at me, come into the room so we don't have to yell across the house!" Mumbling to himself, Matt made his way downstairs to the kitchen. He spotted his daughter sitting at the table eating breakfast.

"Morning, pumpkin," Matt greeted. Kristin looked up at her father and smiled.

"Hi Daddy," she returned the greeting. "Wanna see my drawing?"

"I'll look at it later sweetheart," Matt answered. "I promise. Where's your brother?"

"Upstairs," Kristin told him. "He's walking to school today."

"Oh," Matt said. "He doesn't wanna take the bus with his sister today?"

"No," Kristin replied sadly. "He thinks he's too cool."

"Well, don't worry too much about that honey," Sarah told her from her place at the counter. "I'm sure Eddie will see that he can't be too cool to be seen with his sister. But right now I know a first grader who needs to catch the bus."

"Okay!" Kristin said, enthusiasm back in her. "Bye Mommy, bye Daddy!" She grabbed her backpack and headed out the door. Sarah told her to wait a moment in the backyard.

"When did Eddie start walking to school?" Matt wondered.

"He didn't," Sarah responded. "Neither of them know I'm not going to let him yet." She grinned at her husband. "Eddie!" She called up the stairs again. "Get down here or you'll be late for the bus!"

Eddie was already heading down the stairs. "Mom, I'm walking to school with Jamie today, remember?"

"No," Sarah said sternly. "You're gonna take the bus today with your sister."

"Oh, mom!" Eddie protested. "Why? Jamie's mom is letting him walk to school!"

"I don't care," Sarah said. "Go to the bus stop, now."

Eddie sighed and went outside. Matt raised his eyebrows at Sarah, and said, "Mornings. Don't you just love 'em?"

* * *

Mary sighed as she trotted down the stairs. She knew this was going to be a long day. She had to fly up to Buffalo, down to Chicago, over to San Francisco, where she'd rent a car and drive to Glenoak where she would spend the night at her parents house. She was used to having long days, being a flight attendant. Today, however, she was extraordinarily tired, and she wasn't sure why. Not to mention she was usual back before the kids got home from school. Carlos handled the mornings, while Mary did the afternoons. 

"Hey honey," Carlos greeted from his position in the kitchen, where he was making pancakes for the family's breakfast.

"Don't forget to take Michelle to soccer practice after school," Mary told him. "The coach will drop her off afterwards like the other girls. Charlie's going to Steve's house after school to work on a project, so you don't have to pick him up. I called Mrs. Baines about babysitting Ryan while you're at work, so just drop him off on your way. And don't forget to leave the store early."

"Don't worry honey," Carlos reassured her. "I got it all under control. Remind me again why we can't just take him to daycare like before."

"Don't you remember the fire? They have to close the place down for three months. Starting tomorrow, we'll take him to a new daycare." Carlos nodded in understanding.

"Have fun today and tonight, honey," said Carlos.

"I'm sure I will," replied Mary sarcastically. "On the flight from Chicago to San Francisco, I'll feel bad for those people, cause they'll have one crabby flight attendant. I'd better get going. Tell the kids goodbye for me, okay?"

"Okay, honey," Carlos agreed. "I'll tell them. You get going. Bye honey." He kissed his wife and watched as she went out the door, shutting it behind her.

* * *

Lucy sighed as she waited for her oldest daughter, Savannah, to come downstairs for breakfast. Kevin, Chase, Allison, and herself were already down there, waiting for Savannah. They never started eating breakfast until everyone was there. 

Lucy could take it no longer. "Savannah!" she called up the stairs. "Get down here, now! You're gonna be in big trouble!"

Allison imitated her mother. "Savannah!" she echoed. "Our cereal's getting mushy!"

Kevin smiled at his daughter. "I think she gets it, Ally," he told his daughter.

"No she doesn't," Lucy contradicted. "If she did, she'd get down here. You know what, you guys go ahead and eat. I'm gonna go get her." She headed up the stairs with every intention to make her daughter be in big trouble if she didn't come down the stairs right then.

Her mind was quickly changed when she saw her daughter sitting on the bathroom floor in her underpants, her head between her knees. "Savannah? Are you okay?" she asked concernedly.

Savannah looked up at her mother, looking mighty pale. "Mo-om," she whined. "I feel really terrible, and I keep throwing up."

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "Then I guess breakfast really wouldn't be good for you, would it?" She continued after Savannah shook her head. "Come on, let's take your temperature." She led Savannah to her and Kevin's bathroom, and sat her down on the edge of the bathtub. Sticking a thermometer in her daughter's mouth, Lucy looked at her watch. She set the timer on it, and handed it to Savannah. "Take it out when this goes off," she said before heading back downstairs.

"Hey, Luce," Kevin said. "What's goin' on with Savannah?"

"She's a little sick this morning," Lucy returned. "She's upstairs with the thermometer in her mouth."

"Is it something she ate?" Chase wondered. "Should we be worried?"

Lucy shook her head, "No, honey. I'm sure it's just the stomach flu."

* * *

Simon sighed. Cold hands were plugging his nose. Using much effort to keep his eyes closed, he snored. 

"Daaaaddyyyyy," a small voice cooed. "Wakey, wakey." His daughter then plugged up his ears.

"His mouth is open," he heard his wife say. "Put this in there." He didn't know just what Denise handed over to the three year old, until she plopped it in his mouth. It had the sweet taste of a honey-nut cheerio. He chewed and swallowed, all the while pretending he was still asleep.

"Come on Daddy," Hailee begged. "We're going to the park, 'member?"

He remembered all right. He just loved playing this game with his daughter. He was currently between productions, so he had promised his small daughter he would entertain her at the park on that particular day.

"Daaaaaaaad," Hailee said. "Wake up!"

"Want some help?" Denise asked. When Hailee agreed, Simon felt his wife's lips gently brush his. Then he felt-well-naughtier kissing, and he couldn't help but open his eyes.

"Good job Mommy," Hailee praised. "Gotta get going, if we wanna see the duckies!" She lept off the bed and bounded out of the room to the family dog, a former rescue dog Denise had trained, named Duke. Duke followed the little girl down the stairs, sharing her excitement.

"Guess this means you'll have to take Duke with you to the park," Denise commented. "Have fun."

"I'm sure we will," Simon retorted. He smiled at his wife.

* * *

Ruthie sighed, turning up the radio. "Accidently in Love" by Counting Crows was coming through the speakers in the car. After becoming satisfied her children were safe at daycare, she headed to the school she taught at. 

The car rolled to a smooth stop at the red light. She peered in the back only to find her husband Will had forgotten his tools in the backseat. "Will," she seethed, shaking her head. She whipped out her cell phone, and dialed the familiar number belonging to Will's cell phone.

"Will Harris," he answered.

"Honey, it's me," she said annoyedly. "I found your tools in the backseat. Do you wanna come get them?"

"Aw, shit," Will cursed. "Sweetheart, I can't, I'm meeting with a potential client today. I don't have time to come get them."

"Well, aren't you gonna need them?" Ruthie wondered.

"Oh yeah," Will remembered. "Can you please bring them by the one I'm building on Smalley Road?"

"Um, no!" Ruthie shot back. "I have to work too. Come get your own tools."

"Thanks a lot, honey," Will replied, his voice layered with sarcasm. "How supportive of you."

"Well, I don't think you're very supportive of me," Ruthie pointed out. "I have to teach classes. All day. Every day. Just like normal." With that, she hung up on her husband as she was in the process of rolling her eyes.

* * *

Sam and David sighed in unison as they dug their spoons into their cereal bowls. These sighs were apparently contagious, because then Annie sighed from her position at the kitchen counter. A few seconds later, Eric sighed as he trotted down the stairs. 

"Okay," he began. "You guys ready for another day of school?"

Sam and David each nodded. Sam followed up with, "Since it's Friday, can I go to the baseball party tonight?"

"Who's house is it?" Annie asked.

"Jake's," Sam answered. "He's captain of the team, so he's having the party."

"Okay," his mom consented. "But only since he and his parents go to our church."

"Thanks Mom!" Sam said eagerly.

She smiled. "David? What are you doing tonight?"

"I gotta date," he told his mom excitedly. Sam laughed.

"You gotta date?" he asked David in disbelief. "With who? Becca Perkins? The Goth queen?"

"No," David answered proudly. "With Emily Thompson. The hottest girl in school." Sam still looked in utter skeptism.

"If you say so David," Sam told him.

* * *

A/N: Okay. That's the end of the first chapter. Boring I know. But it will pick up. Please review and tell me what you think! PLEASE! And have mercy, because this is my first 7th Heaven fic. 


	2. The Beginning of the End

A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews! I'm very pleased with all you readers who reviewed. Let's see if we can do it again! So when you get done reading this chapter, please review!

**Chapter 2: The Beginning of the End**

Silence met Carlos as he stepped inside his home. He carried his son into the living room and set him down near his toys. Flopping on the couch, he grabbed the remote. After flipping through channels, he found nothing of his interest was on, so he turned it off once more. He sighed and looked down at Ryan.

"Charlie should be home at five, and Michelle should be home around four-thirty," he said. "We'll have dinner when Charlie gets home. Should I order pizza?" The two-year-old nodded eagerly.

Carlos had a quiet afternoon, he put Ryan down for a nap, and went outside to do a little yardwork. Then he went inside, and cleaned. He figured Mary would be happy if she came home to a clean house.

Five o'clock rolled around and Charlie came home. It was only then that Carlos realized that Michelle should have been home.

"Do you have any idea where Michelle is?" Carlos asked his elder son as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"Why would I know?" Charlie asked his father. "Are you going senile? I wasn't home."

"Sorry," he said. "I'm a little worried about your sister. She should have been home from soccer at four-thirty and it's now five-fifteen."

"I'm sure she's fine Dad," Charlie reassured him. "The coaches or a parent just probably brought extra snacks or something. You know how young chicks are."

Carlos nodded. "You're probably right."

Carlos and Charlie should not have counted their chickens before they hatched. At 5:45 the telephone rang.

"Hello?" Carlos asked.

"Is this Mr. Carlos Rivera?" a female voice said.

"Yes," Carlos answered.

"I have some bad news concerning your daughter, Michelle Rivera . . ."

* * *

"Okay guys," Ruthie announced to her class. "I gotta confession to make. I've been conspiring with your social studies teachers to give you more work." She watched as everyone let out an "Awwwww". Everyone did it, except for one, a shy girl named Laurie, who was drawing in her notebook instead of listening. 

"Come on Mrs. Harris!" shouted out a particuarly loud-mouth student named Garrett shouted out. "We already have enough work."

Ruthie laughed. "I don't think so. That's why we're going to be working on writing letters to the editor for our local newspaper. It'll be counted as a grade for both this class and social studies." She watched her class groan again. "Don't worry. You'll be working on it here, and in that class, so you'll have two periods instead of one." That shut them up.

After she gave them the outline for what she expected from them, she asked Laurie to come see her at her desk.

"Hey Laurie," she said. "I'm didn't want to put you in the spotlight up there, but did you actually pay attention?" Laurie nodded but didn't say anything. "Are you sure? I think you belong in Art class, because all I saw was a lotta drawing in your notebook."

Laurie shrugged, but didn't speak and didn't look Ruthie in the eye. Ruthie was beginning to receive the notion that there was something wrong, really wrong.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked casually. No answer. "If there is, you can always tell me about it. Or any other teacher, or the principal, or the counselor, anybody."

Laurie shrugged. Ruthie began to wonder if she had ever heard that girl say one word. "Okay, you can take a seat." Once Laurie made her way back to her seat, Ruthie logged on her computer to look and see what kind of grades the girl made.

C in math, C+ in social studies, C in science, F in P.E., D in health, C in computers, A in english. Ruthie couldn't help but smile when she saw that the only class Laurie excelled at was the one she taught.

* * *

"Mooooommy!" Allison called up the stairs. "I'm home from preschool!" 

"Shhh," Kevin said. "Don't disturb your sister, she's sick remember?"

"Oh yeah," Allison whispered. "Shhh."

Kevin nodded and smiled. He went upstairs to find his wife, his youngest daughter in tow. He found Lucy in their room ironing a couple of Kevin's shirts. "Hey honey," he greeted. "How's Savannah doin'?"

"She's sleeping," Lucy said, and glanced down at Allison. "Well, she might not be now. She threw up once today, but she's better. Her temperatures almost back to normal, so she'll probably go to school tomorrow."

"Okay," Kevin said. "I gotta get going. Captain Michaels didn't really want me to take this long off my shift today, and if I stay here too much longer, I may have to add it on tonight."

"I called the school and told them to give Chase a message to take the bus home today," Lucy informed him. He nodded.

"See ya tonight, Luce," Kevin said. He pecked his wife on the cheek. "Bye Allie!"

"Bye Daddy!" Allison said.

When Kevin was gone, Lucy bent down to Allison's level. "Allie, what'd you do at school today?"

Allison beamed. "I made Savannah a get well card."

"Oh, how sweet!" Lucy proclaimed. "Why don't we go see if she's awake? If she is you can give her the card, okay?" Allison nodded, and Lucy picked her up and carried her into Savannah's room. Savannah was up, reading a _Seventeen_ magazine.

"Hey Savannah!" Allison greeted. Savannah rolled her eyes, but allowed her sister to hug her.

"Don't get to close, Allison," Lucy warned. "You might get sick, too." _Kids,_ she thought. _They just don't understand the concept of germs._ She watched Allison take a few steps back from Savannah.

"Savannah, I made you something at school today," said Allison said proudly. "I made you a card." She held up the card for her sister to see.

Savannah grabbed the card from her sister. "Thank you," she said. "Allie, that's so sweet." She looked at her sister's attempt at writing "Get Well" on the front. It almost looked like it. Allison was rather smart for a preschooler and could already write--sort of. She opened the card and saw an illegible picture, maybe it was supposed to be of the two sisters? She couldn't really tell, until Allison confirmed it for her.

"Thanks," Savannah said, smiling. She looked pleadingly up at her mother. Lucy took the hint, and she and Allison left Savannah in peace.

* * *

Four o'clock Pacific time was when Matt received the panicked call from his brother-in-law. 

He was checking out a patient when his cell phone rang. The caller ID revealed that the person on the line was Carlos Rivera. "Oh, Carlos," Matt said to himself. "You're going to have to wait until I'm done here." He shut off his phone.

By the time he had finished with the patient, he had forgotten all about Carlos. He turned his phone back on and slipped it into his pocket. Not five minutes later, Carlos called once more.

"Hey Carlos, what's going on?" he answered.

"Where's Mary?" Carlos demanded. "I have to talk with Mary. Where is she?"

"Well, I don't know, but you really should call my parents," Matt said, confused. "She's staying with them, you know. What's going on, Carlos?"

"You're right," Carlos said. "I'll call your parents." He was about to hang up, but Matt wouldn't let him.

"Carlos," he said, exasperated. "You'd better tell me what the heck's goin' on."

"I shouldn't tell you before I tell Mary," Carlos said. "I mean, she is her mother."

"Carlos, you aren't making any sense," Matt declared. "Is this about Michelle? Is something wrong with Michelle?"

"I really gotta go, Matt," Carlos said. "I'll call you later." He hung up before Matt could get in another word.

* * *

Carlos was so panicked he had to look up the Camden parents' number. Usually he had it memorized, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember it today. Finally, he found the familiar number and hurriedly dialed the number displayed in the address book. 

"Hello?" a male voice answered. Carlos figured it was Sam or David.

"This Carlos, who's this?" Carlos asked.

"Hey Carlos, this is David," said David. "Somethin' wrong?" He could detect the worry in his brother-in-law's voice.

"Is Mary there yet?" he wondered. "Please, I need to speak with Mary."

"Naw, she's not here yet," David informed him. No sooner had the words escaped his lips than Mary burst through the door.

"Hey David," Mary greeted.

"Hey Mary," he returned. "Carlos is on the phone, he's looking for you."

"Oh, here," she said. David tossed the phone across the kitchen, and Mary caught it. Annie, who was coming down the stairs, saw it, and scolded David for throwing the phone.

"Hey Carlos," she said into the phone. "Is everything okay with the kids?"

"Uh, Mary?" Carlos stuttered. "Not exactly."

Mary's smile quickly turned into a frown. "Why, what happened?"

"It's Michelle," Carlos finally spat out. "Her carpool van home from soccer got in an accident."

* * *

Haha, had to leave you at a cliffhangar. I'll try and update as soon as I can, but I'll be on vacation for the next week where I can't work on it. Please, remember to review. 


	3. Startlingly Unanswered Questions

Howdy people. Sorry it took so long, but here's something.

**Chapter 3: Startlingly Unanswered Questions**

Mary paled, not sure if she heard her husband correctly. "Michelle what?" she asked.

"Please don't ask me to repeat it," Carlos begged. Mary consented, figuring she _had _heard him correctly.

"I'm coming right home," Mary said. "I'll catch the red eye. Wait, is it bad?"

Carlos sighed. "Yeah. There were seven girls in there, plus the driver. The driver and five girls were killed on contact. Fortunately Michelle wasn't one of them, but Michelle and the driver's daughter, Jill, are in critical condition."

"Oh my God," she breathed. "Okay I'll be home as soon as I can. I love you."

"I love you too Mary," Carlos said. They hung up and Mary turned around to see two expectant but concerned faces belonging to her mother and brother.

"I gotta go home," Mary said, picking up the backpack she had dropped on the floor.

"What happened Mary?" Annie wondered.

"Michelle's carpool van got into an accident," Mary cried, her voice cracking. She held in the urge to cry out right there, but the effort was futile. "I don't know she'll make it. Out of eight people, she was one of two who wasn't killed on contact."

"Oh honey," Annie soothed. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't know!" Mary sobbed.

"Okay David," Annie said, turning to her son. "Could you tell your father what's going on? I'm going to fly back to Florida with Mary. I don't want her being alone."

"Mom, I don't want to want to wait for you to pack!" Mary choked out. "I just wanna go!"

"It will only take me two seconds," Annie said. "I'll just bring one change of clothes. If necessary, I'll just buy some stuff in Florida. Just wait five minutes." After receiving a nod from her daughter, Annie went upstairs.

* * *

"Okay, kiddies," Ruthie said to her twin children as she drove them home. "You guys promise me you'll tell me anything that's bothering you, okay?" 

A squeal erupted from Randy's mouth, and a similar one came from Megan. Ruthie smiled, but it quickly faded when she noticed Laurie Hargrove walking rapidly across the road. She stopped the car and put on a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap so Laurie wouldn't recognize her.

It took Laurie about a half mile to notice she was being followed. Ruthie didn't discover how quick on her feet the young teenager was until Laurie outsmarted her. The teacher watched as Laurie turned down an alleyway too small for a car. Ruthie stopped her car in front of the building and prepared to get out, but Laurie appeared by the passenger door before she had the chance.

The girl didn't say a word, she just stood at the window and stared angrily inside. Ruthie made another notice of how the girl had never spoken to her.

"Hi, Laurie!" Ruthie greeted cheerfully, though she could feel the embarassment rising in her. "How's it going?"

Laurie just kept staring. Ruthie laughed nervously, but she felt like back when she was 11 and Mary's old boyfriend Robbie had caught her multiple times sneaking his cookies, earning her the nickname Snookie.

"I was just, heading home," Ruthie told her. "Would you like a ride?" Laurie shook her head, and then scratched her arm, which Ruthie noticed was heavily bruised. She was just about to ask what had happened when her cell phone rang. She would have let it ring, except it was from her mother. She figured it would be important in some way.

Surprisingly, Laurie didn't leave as Ruthie spoke to her mom.

"Hey Mom . . . . okay, why? What's wrong? . . . . Oh my God . . . . Is she okay? . . . . Is there anything I can do? . . . . Sure, no problem, I can make sure Dad and the boys don't ruin the house . . . . No, it's really no problem . . . . It's no problem, I teach at Walter Reed Jr. High, it's closer to where you live than where I live . . . . Okay, well, I'll be ready to come to Florida whenever necessary . . . . Keep me posted . . . . Love you too, Mom, bye."

After Ruthie hung up, she was surprised to see Laurie still standing at the passenger side window. She asked again if she wanted a ride home. This time, much to Ruthie's shock, the girl got in the front seat of the car.

* * *

The first thing Lucy noticed when she stepped outside was the hot, sticky, humidity that lingered in the air. She glanced over at the thermometer which read 96 degrees, unusually warm for the beginning of May. She sighed and made her way to her small vegetable garden in one corner of the backyard. After nearly 20 minutes of weeding, Lucy wished she had put on a tank top instead of the mid-sleeve T-shirt she wore. Then it occured to her, why not just go in now and change? The garden's not going anywehere for the next two minutes while she threw on a lighter shirt. 

She entered the kitchen to see Kevin in his police uniform, rummaging through the refrigerator for some lemonade. She smiled rather maliciously before sneaking over to her husband and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Hey honey," she greeted. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be working."

"I have something to tell you," said Kevin. "It's important, so I thought you'd like some lemonade." He appeared to be rather nervous to Lucy, who grew concerned at his startling behavior.

"Are you dying?" she wondered half-jokingly.

"No," Kevin declared. "But someone else could be."

"What? Never mind, just tell me what it is."

"Well, your mom called me, I guess because she couldn't reach you . . ."

"Yeah, well, Chase isn't home yet, Allison hates answering the phone, Savannah's asleep, and I was outside, so what's up?

Kevin began speaking very fast. "Uh, well, when Mary got to your parents' house, Carlos called and said Michelle had been in a really bad accident. She may not make it, Luce. I guess she's pretty bad off."

Lucy just looked at Kevin, wide eyed, before she managed to say, "It's a good thing you didn't give me that lemonade, or I'd have choked. Did you just say what I think you said? Michelle, my favorite niece Michelle, got in a bad car wreck?"

Kevin nodded, rather hesitantly. "Mom and Mary went back to Florida, and they'll keep us posted." Lucy couldn't manage to do anything except nod.

* * *

Ehh, sorry that chapter took so long. Please review to it because that's what I thrive on. I know, that chappy sucked and it was short, but I'm having trouble with this story. Review anyways, even if it's just to tell me how much you hate it.  



	4. The Waiting Game

**Chapter 4: The Waiting Game**

Simon and Matt, against Mary's wishes, flew to Florida to lend their support. They brought their wives, but left their children with Ruthie and Eric. Simon had to drive the thirty minute drive to Glenoak to get her daughter to his parents' house. Matt had to temporarily close down their clinic and cancel all appointments. Eric allowed Sam and David to continue with their plans for that evening, though they each did it with a heavy heart.

Ruthie set Hailee up in the room where Lucy and Kevin had kept Savannah when she was first born. Sam, who had moved into the room next door that had once been Simon's, moved back in with David at the end of the hall. Eddie slept there, while Kristin slept up in the second bed in the attic with Ruthie. Ruthie's husband, Will, stayed there too, and he set himself up on the couch along with the two cribs that harbored Randy and Megan.

But the children didn't want to sleep alone, so the three youngest ended up in Eddie's room by nightfall. Eric and Ruthie, the adults in charge, didn't have the heart to move them, so they remained there.

About nine o'clock that night, the children were passed out, Sam and David were still gone, Ruthie was grading papers, Will was eating a sandwich, and Eric was in the living room, feeling not only bad about his granddaughter, but also the parents of the five little girls who had been killed.. That's when Ruthie's cell phone rang. They expected it to be someone in Florida, but the call came from closer to home.

* * *

Down in Florida, Mary and Carlos, along with their children, sat quietly in the waiting room. Annie sat across from them, coffee in hand. She didn't say a word, either. Silently, the woman observed her daughter and family, thinking about how well it had turned out. Just over ten years ago, Mary was divorcing Carlos and forfeiting custody of Charlie. Now, the young woman's family was being torn apart in a different way. 

Somewhere in the middle of her train of thought, her two older sons showed up. Mary and Carlos made no notice that Simon and Matt were even there, but Annie lept to her feet to greet them.

"Simon, Matt! It's good of you to make it! Where are Denise and Sarah?" she asked.

"There at the hotel. They said to call if there's any word," Matt told his mom. "Is there any word?"

Annie shook her head sadly. "You know as much as we do. I hope she's going to be okay." Matt and Simon nodded in agreement.

"How's Mary doin'?" Matt asked quietly.

"They're all torn apart, it's like they don't even know what's going on around them."

"Mo-o-om," came Mary's voice. "I want Dad here. And Lucy, and Ruthie, and the twins and all the children." She had tears streaming down her face.

Annie remembered when Charlie was born, Mary had the opposite mindset. The young woman didn't even want her own parents to be there, but she guessed this was different. She smiled and went to hug her daughter.

"I don't know if we can get everyone here like that, but we'll make sure they'll be here if anything happens." She noticed more sorrow on Mary's face, and came up with a pleaseable solution. "Well, maybe we can get your Dad, Lucy and Kevin, and Ruthie and Will out here, and Sam and David can stay with all the children, would that be okay?"

"I guess," Mary said quietly. Annie ordered Simon and Matt to go call the family and get all the adults to come.

* * *

Ruthie picked up her phone without hesitation, thinking it could be her mother or someone with Mary and Carlos. 

"Hello?" she said eagerly.

"My name is Jane Barnes, Laurie's mother," a clearly irritated voice said, instantly catching Ruthie's attention.

"Hi, can I help you with something, Mrs. Barnes?" Ruthie asked politely.

"My daughter is perfectly capable of walking home by herself, thank you very much," Mrs. Barnes said, causing Ruthie's eyes to bug out wide in confusion at the sudden parental attack.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"I don't appreciate you forcing my daughter into your car and having her ride in a car with you," Mrs. Barnes continued. "And furthermore-"

Ruthie cut her off. "I didn't make her ride with me, I just offered. She accepted, that's all."

She could hear the distraught mother sigh on the other end of the line. "Well, I thought I taught that girl about taking rides with strangers. And shame on you, even giving her the opportuninty. You should be ashamed."

Ruthie looked on in disgust. "I'm not exactly a stranger, I'm her teacher! I see her every day! I don't see what the problem is about being nice to a student and offering to give her a ride home!"

"Well, I think a child's school life should be separate from their home life!" Mrs. Barnes shot back.

_This woman isn't making any sense at all!_ Ruthie thought angrily. But she kept her cool, and continued. "Mrs. Barnes, with all due respect, I don't exactly understand what you're getting at here."

"Just stay away from my daughter outside of school!" Mrs. Barnes blatantly stated, and she hung up.

"The nerve!" Ruthie shouted at her phone, which she thrust back into her purse on the counter. Will looked up at her in surprise.

"What was that all about, honey?" he asked his wife. "Whatever it was sure made you angry."

"I honestly don't know what that was about," Ruthie told him. "I guess I made someone's mom angry, but I don't know what I did." She shrugged as Will came and embraced her into a hug.

"We're gonna have to relax those nerves," said Will with a grin. Ruthie smiled back at him.

* * *

Lucy had trouble concentrating on anything, including dinner. She had her husband order a pizza, and the family ate it half-heartedly. None had much of an appetite, except for Allison, who didn't really understand what was going on. 

Sometime after dinner, the phone rang. It was Matt, asking her to drop her children off at their parents house and bring herself and Kevin to Florida. She happily accepted, she was just waiting to be asked, unlike her brothers.

She explained to Kevin the situation, and he called the police station for emergency leave. She called her dad and found out that he, Ruthie, and Will were also on their way to Florida to be with Mary and her family. They dropped their kids off at their house before they realized they would need someone to stay behind. Ruthie and Will volunteered, so it was agreed that stay with the children.

* * *

A/N: Okay, that's all for now. Please review. 


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